Ad of the Day: The End Is Nigh in Brilliantly Bleak Ad for FXX's Simpsons Mega-Marathon

The world is really going to have a cow when FXX enacts its insane plan to air every Simpsons episode ever, back to back, beginning Aug. 21. In fact, there may be no cows—indeed, no world—left by the end.

In the wonderfully dark promo below, we enter on a kitchen sink whose faucet has been left on, filling up the house with several feet of water as slack-jawed couch apes gape at the boob tube. Turns out the whole world has stopped moving, as everyone is glued to their sets and cellphones, watching the marathon that never ends. (Well, it will end after 12 days. But who will survive, and what will be left of them?) The whole thing could be the plot of a Simpson's Halloween special.

Much of the spot's joy comes from the perfect syncing of Simpsons clips to the "total d'oh-vastation" (FXX's words) we're witnessing—from Mr. Burns saying "Release the hounds!" as feral dogs run through the abandoned streets, to Homer demanding a burrito at an empty food truck in a world where no burritos will be made again. There's no denying those who made this promo are fans of the show.

They're also good at sound design, as the clip expertly layers in every famous creepy Simpsons laugh, from Krusty to Nelson, over the sounds of chaos. (It ends with one of Homer's trademark little-girl screams.) And visually, it's gloriously bleak, with everything bathed in a sickly green hue, except for the on-screen Simpsons footage, which, in its normal colors, really pops—but also adds to a surreal, haunted feeling.

Just hearing the clips is bringing it all back. I'm going to have Simpsons PTSD after this thing airs, if I don't already have it. Truly, there is no God.

After the dust has settled on Sept. 2, FXX will air regularly scheduled Simpsons episodes, including thematic eight-episode mini-marathons every Sunday. After that, you'll be able to get on-demand access to every Simpsons episode at SimpsonsWorld.com and on the FXNow app.

The world is really going to have a cow when FXX enacts its insane plan to air every Simpsons episode ever, back to back, beginning Aug. 21. In fact, there may be no cows—indeed, no world—left by the end.

In the wonderfully dark promo below, we enter on a kitchen sink whose faucet has been left on, filling up the house with several feet of water as slack-jawed couch apes gape at the boob tube. Turns out the whole world has stopped moving, as everyone is glued to their sets and cellphones, watching the marathon that never ends. (Well, it will end after 12 days. But who will survive, and what will be left of them?) The whole thing could be the plot of a Simpson's Halloween special.

Much of the spot's joy comes from the perfect syncing of Simpsons clips to the "total d'oh-vastation" (FXX's words) we're witnessing—from Mr. Burns saying "Release the hounds!" as feral dogs run through the abandoned streets, to Homer demanding a burrito at an empty food truck in a world where no burritos will be made again. There's no denying those who made this promo are fans of the show.

They're also good at sound design, as the clip expertly layers in every famous creepy Simpsons laugh, from Krusty to Nelson, over the sounds of chaos. (It ends with one of Homer's trademark little-girl screams.) And visually, it's gloriously bleak, with everything bathed in a sickly green hue, except for the on-screen Simpsons footage, which, in its normal colors, really pops—but also adds to a surreal, haunted feeling.

Just hearing the clips is bringing it all back. I'm going to have Simpsons PTSD after this thing airs, if I don't already have it. Truly, there is no God.

After the dust has settled on Sept. 2, FXX will air regularly scheduled Simpsons episodes, including thematic eight-episode mini-marathons every Sunday. After that, you'll be able to get on-demand access to every Simpsons episode at SimpsonsWorld.com and on the FXNow app.